A connector, such as an electrical connector, may include a plug shell and a coupling ring rotatably coupled around the plug shell. The plug may be internally threaded and may be coupled to an externally threaded receptacle shell. For example, a coupling ring of an electrical connector may be rotated in a coupling direction around a receptacle shell such that electrical contacts in the receptacle shell mate with corresponding electrical contacts in the plug shell. Some connectors may include a retaining ring that retains the coupling ring rotatably attached on the plug shell. However, in some applications, the connector may be exposed to vibration and mechanical shock that may result in unintentional decoupling of the coupling ring from the receptacle shell.
To prevent the unintentional decoupling of the coupling ring by rotating in a decoupling direction, a ratchet spring that is attached to the inside of the coupling ring may be used. For example, ratchet teeth/detents on the outer circumference of the plug shell may engage the ratchet spring to resist decoupling of the coupling ring. Further, a system spring may be used to minimize axial motion of the plug shell once the plug shell is coupled to the receptacle shell by the coupling ring. The connector may also include a keying system involving one or more of the receptacle shell, the connector shell, and the plug shell.
Instead of having multiple individual components, combining the system spring, the ratchet spring, and the detents into a single component may be desirable to reduce component count and, thus, to reduce manufacturing cost.